How to Clean Your Wood Deck Without a Pressure Washer

We’ve all seen those videos and posts about how easy it is to wash our deck with a power washer. That’s great – for all those people who have a pressure washer!

For the rest us, you may wonder how can you wash a wood deck without a power washer?

First off, why is it important to wash your deck yearly? Your deck goes through a lot – mud, rain, snow, BBQs, kids…Yearly deck maintenance not only allows your deck to look great year-round, but also to extend its life, allowing you to get more bang for your buck!

Now, let’s assume you have already cleared and swept your deck. Now let’s look at how to clean a wood deck with mould and mildew stains, stubborn stains, or a well maintained deck without a pressure washer.

Cleaning Mould and Mildew Stains

Soap salts are mainly used as an insecticidal soap, but are also effective at killing bacteria, fungi, mould, and mildew! These can be found on Amazon, Home Depot, and most other home hardware stores.

  1. While wearing gloves, prepare your soap salts following the package instructions.
  2. Using a mop, soak a small area of your deck with the cleaning solution. This ensures the area you are working with remains wet while cleaning.
  3. Using a stiff broom or brush, scrub the wet area of your deck until the wood looks clean.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the entire surface of your deck has been cleaned.
  5. Using a garden hose, rinse off the soap and dirt.
  6. Once the deck is dry, apply a protective coating to the wood.

Cleaning Stubborn Stains

For stubborn stains, a stronger cleaning solution using oxygenated bleach can be used. Oxygenated bleach is used as a safer alternative to regular bleach, as it causes less damage on wood surfaces if not left for more than 10 minutes.

  1. Prepare your solution by mixing 1 cup of oxygenated bleach to 2 gallons of hot water. Remember to always wear gloves while working with your cleaning solution.
  2. Soak a small area of your deck with the cleaning solution and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
  3. Using a stiff broom or brush, scrub the affected area until the wood looks clean.
  4. Thoroughly rinse the area with water, removing all the bleach, to ensure the wood is not damaged.
  5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the entire surface of your deck has been cleaned.
  6. Once the deck is dry, apply a protective coating to the wood.

Cleaning a Regularly Maintained Deck

If your deck needs to be cleaned, but doesn’t have any stubborn stains or mould/mildew (because you’ve been taking good care of your deck – good job!), a general cleaning solution should do the trick.

  1. Prepare your cleaning solution using 4 litres of water with 1 cup of detergent (either powdered or liquid).
  2. Using a mop, soak a small area of your deck (approx. 4×4 feet) with the cleaning solution. This ensures the area you are working with remains wet while cleaning.
  3. Allow the cleaning solution to soak for 10-15 minutes.
  4. Using a stiff broom or brush, scrub the wet area of your deck until the wood looks clean.
  5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the entire surface of your deck has been cleaned.
  6. Using a garden hose, rinse off the soap and dirt.
  7. Once the deck is dry, apply a protective coating to the wood.

 

There you go! While it takes more time and effort, it is definitely possible to have a clean deck without a pressure washer.